Behavioral Norms and Expectations

TLDR

Organizational culture, defined by shared beliefs and values, has traditionally been studied qualitatively, but quantitative tools such as the Organizational Culture Inventory now enable systematic profiling of behavioral norms and expectations across organizations and subunits. This article develops a theoretical framework for the Organizational Culture Inventory by reviewing key culture concepts including dominant cultures, subcultures, cultural direction, and intensity. Survey data reveal strong intra‑organizational agreement on norms and expectations, significant inter‑organizational differences, hierarchical subcultural variation, and a consensus that ideal cultures should foster achievement‑oriented, affiliative, humanistic, and self‑actualizing styles, underscoring the inventory’s utility for research and change initiatives.

Abstract

Organizational culture—the shared beliefs and values guiding the thinking and behavioral styles of members—traditionally has been assessed by qualitative methods. However, quantitative approaches such as culture surveys offer important advantages for both cross-sectional organizational research and data-based cultural change programs. The Organizational Culture Inventory, an instrument designed for such uses, profiles the culture of organizations and their subunits in terms of behavioral norms and expectations. Following a review of concepts relevant to culture (e.g., dominant cultures, subcultures, cultural direction, and intensity), this article presents the theoretical framework underlying the culture inventory. Data provided by members of diverse organizations are used to show that there is agreement within organizations, and significant differences across organizations, with respect to the norms and expectations measured by the inventory. At the same time, subcultural differences within organizations are shown to occur across hierarchical levels. Supplementary data on preferred norms indicate that members of different organizations agree that the ideal cultures for their firms would promote achievement-oriented, affiliative, humanistic, and self-actualizing thinking and behavioral styles. The implications of these findings are discussed for the use of the Organizational Culture Inventory in the context of research and change programs.